They’ve been undisputedly the best team all year but Pirates know the 80 minutes in front of them at Ken Chillingworth Oval on Saturday will be their toughest.
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Walcha have proven a more than worthy adversary for the defending champions, with the combined margin in their last two encounters being just 10 points.
Pirates won both games after trailling at half-time.
The first game they didn’t hit the front until the final 10 minutes. In their most recent meeting, they made their run a bit earlier.
Both games have been torrid tussles and Pirates coach Mat Kelly isn’t expecting anything different on Saturday.
“It’ll be a real test for 80 minutes,” Kelly said.
“Walcha having played again last week, they’ll be better for the trip.”
On the cusp of a rare undefeated season and winning back to back premierships for only the second time in the club’s history, it’s about getting the little things right, Kelly said.
“We’re looking at concentrating on the small things, and the big picture will take care of itself,” he said.
He said they haven’t really spoken about last year, although it is a barometer of what they are capable of.
They were sublime as they eviscerated Narrabri to secure their first title since 2012, when they coincidentally defeated the Rams.
It’s more the experience, though, that Kelly is drawing from that.
“The boys have all been there with with a big crowd and all the build-up,” he said.
As much as teams like to approach it as just another game, grand finals are a different beast.
Kelly has often spoken about Pirates’ big game experience and they go into Saturday knowing they know how to get themselves out of a tough situation.
Wary of the Rams across the park, Pirates are well aware that they need to nullify Walcha’s outside backs.
“We need to limit the time and space and opportunity that [Simon] Newton has and the outside backs,” Kelly said.
He pointed to the side’s defence and attitude as the two areas they need to lift.
“We’re giving too many piggybacks away and having to defend for too long a period. It’s a much easier job when you’ve got the ball in hand,” he said.
Pirates have made one change from the side that faced the Rams two weeks ago, with Josh Devine coming onto the wing for Andrew Mepham, who injured his hamstring.
“I’m very confident in JD [Devine] that he’ll do a terrific job,” Kelly said. “He’s a genuine winger.”
Devine is one of a couple of Pirates who didn’t figure in last year’s grand final.
For the Rams, it has been a five-year wait to get another opportunity to win their first premiership since 1997, with that 2012 grand final the last time they featured in the decider.
The 2012 grand final followed a similar script to the last two games between the sides this year, with the Rams getting in front but not able to hold on.
Walcha have been given a boost, with Sandy Cameron, Henry King and Dom Bower all returning to the starting side. Bower and King both missed last week through injury, while Cameron was away at a wedding.
Co-coach Barry Hoy is hoping Cameron and King’s inclusion will address lineout issues they had against Gunnedah last week.
He said the side’s lineout was “terrible”, but in fairness they were missing two of their regular jumpers.
Ross Fletcher retains his starting spot for the Rams after a strong game last week around the park and in the scrums.
The Rams have again packed down a lot of scrums at training this week, after Pirates built their fightback in the two most recent wins over Walcha on scrum dominance.
Other than gaining a bit more parity there, there isn’t a lot else they need to change.
“We’ve just got to concentrate for the 80 minutes,” Hoy said. “We’ve just got to try and minimise their roll.”
When Pirates’ forwards get on a roll they are very hard to stop as the Rams learnt in the first round.
That has really been forgotten amidst the drama of their last two clashes, but neither side is anticipating a repeat of that.
Hoy said the Rams take a lot of confidence from the way they played in the last two games.
“But you’ve got to do it again. You can’t rely on what you’ve done in the past,” he said.
One of the things they have done well is come out firing. They’ll need to do that again.
“You’ve got to start well. You don’t want to let them get a lead,” Hoy said.
He also stressed that the Rams need to make sure they finish their opportunities off.
In both games against Pirates there have been opportunities they haven’t taken, and in a close game that could be the difference between winning and losing.
- TEAMS
Pirates: 1 Bart Leach, 2 Tim Collins, 3 Ben Goodman, 4 Jack Shelton, 5 Nick McCrohan, 6 Doug Biffin, 7 Sam Collins, 8 Conrad Starr, 9 James Trappel, 10 Andrew Moodie, 11 Colby La-Chiusa, 12 Brendan Rixon, 13 Mitch Bath, 14 Josh Devine, 15 Simon Trappel;
Walcha: 1 Ross Fletcher, 2 Jock Fortescue, 3 Tom Hoy, 4 Sione Kamoto, 5 Sandy Cameron, 6 Dave Healey, 7 Henry King, 8 Will Fletcher, 9 Angus Mactavish, 10 Simon Newton, 11 Dom Bower, 12 Pat Keen, 13 Ed Cordingley, 14 Richard Young, 15 Ed Churchill.